Combined cigar cutter and electric lighter



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

. A. HUOT.

COMBINED CIGAR CUTTER AND ELECTRIC LIGHTER.

Patented Mar. 7, 1893.

W TNESSESI m: NORRIS PETERS co, snore-urns. WASHINGTON u. c

(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. A; HUOT.

COMBINED CIGAR CUTTER AND ELECTRIC LIGHTER. No. 493,030. Patented Mar. 7, 1893.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ABEL HUOT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

COMBINED CIGAR-CUTTER AND ELECTRIC LIGHTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 493,030, dated March 7, 1893.

Application filed June 22, 1892. $erial No. 437,579- (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ABEL HUOT, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain Improvements in a Combined Cigar- Outter and Electric Lighter, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the class of devices employed for cutting off the tips of cigars and automatically turning on gas to be lighted, and it combines with such a device means for igniting the gas automatically by an electric spark.

The invention will be fully described hereinafter and its novel features carefully defined in the claims.

In the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of an embodiment of my combined cutter and lighter. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front elevation of the same on a larger scale than Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a sectional detail View.

As herein shown the device presents, exteriorly, the form of an elephant standing on a base with its fore-feet resting on a cask on the base and its trunk or proboscis thrown up as if trumpeting; but the contour or design forms no part of my present invention, and these parts of the device may have any other form suitable for the purpose.

A represents a base, on which is mounted a hollow casing, B.

O is an operating lever, pivoted or f ulcrumed in the casing at or, and furnished with a spring, a which holds the lever in the position represented in full lines in Fig. 1. The lever O carries one blade, b, of the cutter, and the other blade 6, is secured in the casing B, in position to act in conjunction with the cutter b, when the handle 0 of lever O is depressed. The bit out from the tip of the cigar falls into and passes down an inclined conduit or chute, d, from the lower end of which it falls into a receptacle D, on the base. As here shown the chute d is arranged within the casing B. The gas enters the device through a pipe E, to which the usual flexible gas tube may be connected at E The gas-cock, f, has a crank arm g, on its key, and this arm is coupled by a link, h, to the inner arm, a", of the lever 0. Beyond the cock f, the gas pipe, or a branch, c, thereof, is connected with a burner or pillar, t', secured to the casing and having any suitable form of burner tips i In order to carry out the semblance to an elephant, two of these pillars, 2', formed to simulate tusks, are employed, and the gas pipe has two branches c, leading to the respective pillars; but the use of two pillars or gas-burners is not essential to the invention, and they need not, of course, simulate tusks of an elephant.

So far as described the operation is as follows: The smoker inserts the tip of his cigar into the apertured cutter, which may be, as to form, in all respects like the ordinary cigar cutter,and pulls down the handle 0 of lever O. This operation severs the tip from the cigar and simultaneously, or nearly so, turns onthe gas, by reason of the arm on the gas cock being coupled to the inner end or arm of the lever, as described.

In order to automatically ignite the gas at the burner tip or tips, I employ an electrical device which will now be described. On the pillar, i, is placed, at or near the burner tip, a metallic contact piece, j, which may be a flexible strip of platinum, brass, &c., and on the lever O is placed another metallic contact piece, j of a similar character. These contact pieces are so placed with respect to each other that when the handle of the lever is pulled down to the position indicated in dotted lines, the piece j will make and break contact with the piecej, in a well known way. The contact pieces just described are in circuit with a generator, of electricity and a spark coil, and when the contact between them is broken,a spark is produced which serves to ignite the gas turned on to the burner. As here shown, F, is a galvanic battery, in a drawer G in the base A. H, is a spark coil, also in said drawer, and is, are the insulated circuit wires, the battery and coil being in circuit with the contact pieces j,j here the casing B and lever C are of metal, they may form parts of the circuit, the metal pillar, i beinginsulated therefrom. As here shown, however, the wire 10* is carried through the lever O to the contact piece j and the wire is is connected electrically to the pillar, 71, which is of metal and on which the metal contact piece j, is mounted. The arrangement of the circuit, of which the contact pieces j and j form the terminals, is not material to my invention and is within the ordinary skill of any electrician; it will suffice to insulate both terminals from the parts of the device on which they are mounted, and to carry the respective wires directly to these terminals. Where there are two pillars or burners t, the circuit wire it will be branched and the branches will lead to the respective terminalsj at the two burner tips; and the contact piece or terminal 3, on the lever 0, will have two laterally projecting arms, as seen in Fig. 2, adapted to make and break contact with the two terminals j, simultaneously, or nearly so, when the lever C is operated.

I do not wish to limit myself to the precise construction herein shown as it may be varied somewhat without departing materially from my invention. It is only essential that'the operating handle of the cutter shall turn on the gas at the cut off, and shall make and break an electric circuit so as to produce a spark and ignite the gas.

In Figs. 1 and 2 I have shown the upper or movable blade I) as rigidly secured to the lever 0, and this is the simplest construction; but as the blade I) can have but little movement and it is desirable that the lever 0 shall have considerable movement so as to enable it to operate the gas key and turn on the gas a moment before the spark is produced, the blade 6 maybe mounted on ahinged frame, upheld normally by a spring, and the lever C be given a more extended movement, so that it may be drawn down far enough to turn on the gas before it acts on the blade or its frame.

This construction is illustrated in Fig. 3, in whichbis the frame carrying the cutter b, said frame being hinged on the pin at m where the lever G,'is fulcru'me'd, and provided with a spring, a, to hold it elevated, normally. The lever G is held normally elevated by its spring a, and may be depressed to some extent before it strikes the frame b, which carries the movable blade. The frame b,'m'a'y be pivoted at some other point than the fulcrum wfout I prefer to pivot it and the lever O at the same point.

I am well aware that it is not new to combine a tip-cutter for cigars with a gas cook in such a manner that the operation of the cutter opens the gas-cock widerandthusincreases the supply of gas to a constantly ignited jet; but in my construction there is no constantly ignited or burning jet. In my device the gas cut-off, the tip-cutter, and the circuit closer and breaker, all co-operate, and the gas is wholly cut off and extinguished when the handle is thrown up by the spring; indeed the handle, by its movement produces all of the efiects described. It is well known to me that the ignition of gas by electricity is old and I do not claim this.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. The combination with a cigar cutter having an operating handle to actuate one of the cutter blades, of a gas-supply'pipe provided with a cut-off, intermediate mechanism between the handle and gas cut-oft whereby the former actuates the latter, a burn er connected with said gas pipe, and an electric circuithav ing one of its terminals at said burner and the other carried by the operating handle and in position to make and break contact with the other terminal when the'handle is operated, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with a cigar cutter hav: ing an operating handle to actuate one of the cutter blades, of a gas-supply pipe provided with a cut-01f, intermediate mechanism between the handle and gas cut-off, whereby the former actuates the latter, two burnertips connected'with branches of the gas pipe, and an electric circuit having branch'terminals at the respective burners, and a two-armed terminal carried by the operating arm and in position to make and break contacts'withthe terminals at the burners when'the'handleis operated, as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

A HUOT? Witnesses: I

HENRY CONNETT, J. D. GAP INGER. 

